BERLIN—The German government on Wednesday banned a Muslim organization that it accused of supporting “terrorism globally with its donations.”
Police raided buildings associated with Ansaar International in 10 German states, the German Interior Ministry said in a statement. The ministry alleged the money the organization collected ostensibly went into welfare projects as a ruse to help finance groups such as the Syrian al-Qaida affiliate known as the Nusra Front, the Palestinian group Hamas, and al-Shabab in Somalia.
“The organization Ansaar International and its suborganizations were banned. The network finances terrorism globally with its donations,” an Interior Ministry spokesperson tweeted.
![Police officers stay in front of a building of the Ansaar International association in Duesseldorf, Germany, on May 5. 2021. (Marcel Kusch/dpa via AP)](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimg.theepochtimes.com%2Fassets%2Fuploads%2F2021%2F05%2F05%2FAP21125205203562-1200x800.jpg&w=1200&q=75)
More than 1,000 police officers raided buildings and office spaces across Germany and confiscated about €150,000 ($180,000).
“When wanting to fight terrorism, one needs to dry out its money sources,” German Interior Ministry Horst Seehofer said. He alleged that Ansaar International “spreads a Salafist view of the world and is financing terror around the globe under the disguise of humanitarian help.”
A man who answered a phone call to the organization’s headquarters in the western German city of Duesseldorf immediately hung up when The Associated Press called seeking comment.